'Potentially Hazardous' Letters Hit Senators and Election Offices on Anniversary of Capitol Anthrax Attacks

Federal investigators are tracing a wave of suspicious letters sent to senators, state election offices and other recipients across the US, some of them containing an unidentified powder.

More than 100 letters were mailed nationwide, according to officials briefed on the investigation, and offices in Louisiana and Arizona were partly evacuated.

News of the nationwide mailings emerged on Thursday 15 October 2026, 25 years to the day after a staff member in a Senate office opened a letter laced with anthrax. No injuries had been reported as of Thursday.

Senators and More Than a Dozen States Targeted

The FBI and the US Postal Inspection Service are investigating 'a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices', the FBI said.

'Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident,' it added, Votebeat reported.

A notice from the Senate sergeant-at-arms warned of 'multiple letters containing suspicious substances that were mailed to various addresses nationwide' and said law enforcement was 'working to intercept any additional letters before they are delivered', Roll Call reported.

One of Senator Chris Murphy's state offices in Connecticut received a letter, and his spokesman said the senator and his staff 'were not in immediate danger'. A letter addressed to Senator Alex Padilla's office was intercepted by the Postal Service. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was also among those targeted.

The senators identified in these reports are Democrats, although the full list of recipients has not been made public, and no motive has been disclosed.

The House sergeant-at-arms said that 'no House Members have been identified as intended recipients at this time'. US Capitol Police referred questions to the FBI. Three officials briefed on the investigation told Votebeat that the recipients also included a polling organisation, and that it was not yet clear how many letters went to election officials.

Evacuations and Intercepted Mail

In Louisiana, an employee in the Secretary of State's elections division opened a package at about 12.20pm on Tuesday 13 October and found an unknown white powder, WAFB reported. 'Out of an abundance of caution, we have evacuated the Elections section and turned off the building's air conditioning,' Secretary of State Nancy Landry said. The office reopened on Wednesday after officials found no harmful substance.

In Arizona, staff in Secretary of State Adrian Fontes's office opened an envelope containing white powder on Thursday. Officials isolated those exposed and evacuated other employees while hazardous materials crews cleared the area. Investigators have not said whether the Arizona letter is linked to the others.

'This is a sobering moment that highlights the reality of election administration in this country today,' Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said on X. 'We will not be scared out of doing our jobs on behalf of the voters of Arizona.'

Oklahoma also reported receiving a letter with a powdery white substance. The Wisconsin Elections Commission received a suspicious mail piece that was later 'deemed not dangerous'. 'Let this be very clear: this incident will not shake us,' said administrator Meagan Wolfe, adding that it would not affect the general election.

In Nebraska, staff did not open an envelope and handed it to the FBI. 'In both instances, swift action was taken to isolate and then investigate the suspicious mailing,' said Secretary of State Bob Evnen, whose office had received a similar envelope in 2024.

Other letters never reached their targets. Law enforcement intercepted letters bound for election offices in Ohio, New Hampshire, Washington, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho and South Dakota.

Pennsylvania's Department of State said the Postal Service blocked delivery of a suspicious letter on Wednesday, and the FBI field office in Connecticut said it had 'received multiple interceptions'.

'Election officials should never have to fear for their personal safety while performing their duties,' said Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.

Twenty-Five Years After the Anthrax Letters

The timing carried an unsettling echo. On 15 October 2001, a staff member in the office of then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle opened a letter in the Hart Senate Office Building that appeared to come from a fourth-grade class, and white powder spilled out. It was anthrax.

The 2001 attacks, which also targeted news organisations and included a letter addressed to Senator Patrick Leahy, killed five people and sickened 17 others. The Hart building underwent extensive decontamination.

The FBI later concluded that Bruce Ivins, a scientist at a US Army biodefence laboratory, was responsible. Ivins died in 2008 before charges could be filed, and the investigation was formally closed in 2010. The FBI's conclusion was never tested in court, and a National Academy of Sciences review later questioned aspects of the scientific evidence.

Mail for Congress is now processed and screened offsite, a safeguard introduced after the attacks, Roll Call reported.

Election offices have faced similar scares before. In 2024, election officials in at least six states received suspicious packages, according to CNN reporting cited by Votebeat, and Nebraska received its first such envelope that year.

Investigators have not publicly identified who sent the latest letters or established whether the timing was deliberate. The FBI said it could not confirm details of specific cases.

The mailings come less than three weeks before the 3 November midterm elections.